Platform-gear for vehicles.



No. 785,095. PATENTED MAR. 21, 1905.

s. A. & A; 0. GIBSON. I

PLATFORM GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

APPLIOATION FILED-AUG. 10, 1904.

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NITED STATES Patented March 21, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

SIDNEY A. GIBSON AND ALPHEUS C. GIBSO N, OF SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA.

PLATFORM-GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 785,095, dated March 21, 1905. Application filed August 10, 1904. Serial No. 220,297. i

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, SIDNEY A. GIBsoN and ALPHEUs C. GIBSON, citizens of the United States, residing at Sharon, in the county of Mercer and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Plat form-Gear for Vehicles; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to the running-gear for vehicles, and is commonly known as the platform truss-gear, our object being primarily to provide a simple, inexpensive, and more efficient means for fastening or binding the parts together, whereby a much lighter construction is produced with a proportionately greater carrying capacity than those at present in use and wherein the possibilities of settling or binding are reduced to the minimum.

A further object of the invention is to so construct this fastening provision that the truss-rods usually employed in such construe tions to augment and give greater strength thereto will exert a direct end pressure on the gear-bars, and thereby give greater strength to the truss.

With these and other objects in view our invention may be said to consist in the combination, with a vehicle running-gear, of a fastening provision adapted to embrace the converged end thereof, said provision having a flanged extension against which the extremities of the center and side bars will abut and means for fastening the whole together.

Our invention further consists of the combination, with a vehicle running-gear, of a fastening provision adapted to embrace the converged end thereof, said provision having a flanged extension against which the extremities of the center and side bars will abut, means for securing the same together, said fastening provision being further provided with a plurality of openings adapted to receive the truss-rods and being so formed as to provide shoulders or lugs at approximately right angles to the line of convergence of said trussrods for the binding-nuts to rest on, whereby parts, all of which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

To more fully comprehend the nature of our invention, however, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, reference must be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, whereon similar reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and wherein- Figure 1 represents a plan view of a platform running-gear having our newly-invented fastening provision applied thereto. Fig. 2 represents a side elevation thereof, and Fig. 3 represents a perspective view of the fastening provision removed.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the platform trussgear, comprising the usual front bar 2, futchell-bars 3, center bar 4, converging side bars 5, and the fifth-wheel 6, the latter being properly supported in any of the well-known or approved ways.

7 designates our newly-invented fastening provision, which comprises a body portion 8 of appropriate Width and sufi icient in length brace the outer end portions of said side bars, 9

as represented at 10, where they are provided with suitable perforations 11 to receive bolts 12, which pass therethrough and through corresponding perforations in the side -bars,

thereby providing an effective means for securing them to the fastening provision at those particular points.

13 designates a tongue or extension, preferably made integral with and forming a part of the body portion 8, its end being flanged or two together at that portion of the fastening provision.

The flange 9 is provided with perforations 16 to receive the ends of truss-rods l7, and it will be observed that the bores of said openings are made parallel with the line of convergence of said rods and also that the flange itself at those particular p'oints projects outwardly,so as to provide shoulders or lugs 18,,

against which the fastening-nuts 19 will bear when adjusted on the truss-rods. These shoulders or lugs are approximately at right angles to the line of convergence of the truss-rods, so that when the nuts are adjusted thereon it will be evident that a direct end pressure will be exerted upon'the gear-bars, binding them securely against the inner face of the flange 9.

While we have shown provision for only two truss-rodsa construction which is more adapted to the running-gear of a lighter variety of vehiclesit must be understood that the body portion and its flange may be extended sufliciently to provide for additional rods, as may be found desirable or necessary in constructing a truss of greater carrying capacity, and we therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting ourselves to the precise details of construction herein'shown and described, as it will be apparent that they may be modified, altered, and amplified in such manner as may be held to fairly fall within the spirit and scope of our present invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The combination with a vehicle runninggear, of a fastening provision adapted to embrace the converged end thereof, and having a flanged extension against which the extremities of the center and side bars will abut, and being further provided with a plurality of openings adapted to receive the trussrods, shoulders or lugs for the fastening-nuts formed on said flange, at approximately right angles to the line of convergence of said truss-rods, whereby a dlrect pressure is exerted on the gear-bars, and means for securing the latter and the fastening provision together.

2. The combination with a vehicle runninggear, of a fastening provision, comprising a body portion, adapted to embrace the converged end thereof, and having a flanged extension against which the extremities of the center and side bars will abut, said flange having lateral extensions to embrace the outer end portions of said side bars, and having perforations therein, bolts adapted to pass therethrough and through openings in the side bars, perforated shoulders or lugs adapted to receive truss-rods and formed at approxi mately right angles to the line of convergence of said truss-rods, and fastening-nuts for said truss-rods, adapted to rest on said shoulders or lugs.

3. The combination with a vehicle runninggear, of a fastening provision comprising a body portion, adapted to embrace the converged end thereof, and having a tongue projecting therefrom, a flanged extension depending from said body portion, and against which the extremities of the center and side bars will abut, said flange having lateral extensions to embrace the outer end portions of said side bars, and having perforations therein, bolts adapted to pass therethrough, and through openings in the side bars, perforated shoulders or lugs adapted to receive truss-rods and formed at approximately right angles to the line of convergence of said truss-rods, fastening-nuts for said truss-rods adapted to rest on said shoulders or lugs, and a clamp adapted to embrace said tongue and surround the center bar.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

SIDNEY A. GIBSON. ALPHEUS C. GIBSON. i/Vitnessesz FRANK C. TAYLOR, E. B. BROGKWAY. 

